T.J. Raphael is the Associate Editor of FOLIO:. Follow her on Twitter: @TJRaphael The mobile Web has been a challenge, to say the least, for even the largest content publishers, and when it comes to city and regional magazines, strategies range from exploratory to non-existent. This month’s issue of FOLIO: has put a spotlight on city and regional magazine publishers and their strategies for reaching audiences, and advertisers, in the digital marketplace—our report shows that some publishers in this market are, in fact, responding aggressively to the changing marketplace despite previously held reservations. “Most city and regional magazines are struggling to grow digital divisions because we’ve been print publications all along,” Ralph Martinelli, publisher of New York-based 55,000-circ Westchester Magazine, told FOLIO: in our April issue. “We’re expanding our digital division into a separate entity—one of our main goals is to do a tremendous amount of daily digital-only content that does not appear in print, and we’ve brought in digital-only editors. From a sales point of view, our digital-only reps partner with the print ad reps to present complete packages that includes print, digital and events.” The mobile, digital advertising market could be the next big thing for city and regional magazines—at least according to a new forecast from BIA/Kelsey, a local media and advertising research and consultancy firm.The firm predicts that mobile local advertising revenues will grow from $1.2 billion in 2012 to $9.1 billion in 2017, representing a compound annual growth rate of 43.9 percent. For the total U.S. mobile ad spending market, the firm estimates this sector to grow from $3.2 billion in 2012 to $16.8 billion in 2017.“This puts locally targeted mobile ads at 38 percent of overall U.S. mobile ad spending in 2012, growing to 54 percent in 2017,” a statement from the company says. While search and display is top of mind, the firm notes that other areas of mobile are also growing:Display advertising applied to apps and mobile Web inventory is estimated to grow from $379 million in 2012 to $2.7 billion in 2017.Search will grow from $704 million in 2012 to $5.7 billion in 2017.SMS messaging will grow from $101 million to $162 million in 2017.Video distributed within apps and mobile Web inventory will grow from $38 million in 2012 to $515 million 2017.Since local mobile ad revenue is estimated to account for a whopping 54 percent of overall U.S. mobile ad spending, city and regional magazines are well positioned to tap the national advertising market in ways they never dreamed of. Local communities not only trust city and regional mags, but these brands have the audience infrastructure and local knowledge to offer national ad partners exciting new options in their quest for local ad messaging.read more

The SwitchGuard is pretty self-explanatory. Pintoro It’s safe to say just about everyone wants a Nintendo Switch, making it a prime target for thieves.Pintoro is offering deterrent in the form of SwitchGuard, a clear acrylic lockbox designed to keep the portable console safe from unwelcome hands, as previously reported by Nintendo Life.”The best way to deter theft of your Nintendo Switch at a tournament, in your dorm, in an office, or in your home!” the company wrote. The 29 best games on the Nintendo Switch Post a comment Gaming Accessories Consoles 29 Photos Now playing: Watch this: 2:38 Charge your Nintendo Switch over-the-air The box costs $50, which is pricey but cheaper than replacing your Switch if it gets snatched. Nintendo sold more than 8.7 million units of the Switch between its March 2017 launch and November 2018, and it’s expected to sell 17.3 million worldwide in 2019, so there are no doubt plenty of concerned owners out there.First published at 6:31 a.m. PT.Updated at 7:20 a.m PT: Adds Pintoro comment.Nintendo Switch review: Pure fun on a big-screen TV or on the go.Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is out: Here’s everything you need to know. The top lock stops people from getting at the Switch inside, while a cable lock and slot secure the SwitchGuard itself. It also has numerous cutouts for ventilation — Switches can get pretty hot! — and for you to run various cables through.The company acknowledges that the box is more of the deterrent than an absolute security solution. It could be smashed open with a hammer when you bring it to a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament.”The SwitchGuard is an excellent option for deterring thieves from picking up your Switch and just walking away,” Pintoro wrote in an emailed statement. 0 Share your voice Tags Nintendoread more

A caricature of shipping minister Shajahan KhanAfter widespread criticism for his visibly smirk reaction, shipping minister Shajahan Khan on Tuesday expressed his great sorrow and regret over the Sunday’s road crash that had killed two students, reports UNB.The minister said, “I’m sorry for my unpleasant behaviour. I have accepted the criticism.”He also urged all to overlook his mistake with a spirit of forgiveness. He hoped for quick recovery of the injured students.Shajahan Khan said those who are responsible for the road crash that killed two students must face action as per the law.Earlier on 29 July, while talking to reporters about the road crash at the secretariat, the minister said smilingly that “33 people died in India recently, but they (Indians) don’t complain about it as we do.”Such comment and smirk stirred an outrage in social media with many people asking for unconditional apology and the minister’s resignation.A bus ploughed through some college students on Sunday as they were standing by the road in front of Kurmitola General Hospital, leaving two dead and 12 others injured.Outraged by the accident, the students across the city have been demonstrating since then demanding justice for their fellows and apology from the shipping minister for his comments.read more

The India factor — which has been part of the pre-election rhetoric in the past — is missing from electioneering in Bangladesh, said The Indian Express on Friday.According to the Indian media outlet, in the previous polls, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who is now in jail in a corruption case, would accuse the ruling Awami League, led by prime minister Sheikh Hasina, of being “pro-India”“It’s very interesting to see that India did not get mentioned at all by the two prominent political parties during their election campaign,” an Indian diplomat in Dhaka was quoted to have said in the report.It added that none of the leaders from either the BNP or Awami League churned up anti-India sentiments during the campaign.“I think they realised that the BNP was not benefitting by alienating India,” the diplomat was also quoted.Sabihuddin, foreign affairs advisor to Khaleda Zia, told The Indian Express that India is not a factor here this time.“We should not be bothered whether BJP or Congress is in power in Delhi. Similarly, the Indian government should not bother whether Awami League or the BNP wins the elections,” the BNP leader told the Indian media.The report says, “The BNP, which has traditionally led the charge against India in previous elections, nuanced its position, having burnt its fingers in 2014. As the BNP had boycotted the elections, Delhi did not push the Hasina-led Bangladesh government to hold re-elections — rather, it endorsed Hasina’s victory. That was a huge setback, which many within the BNP felt was a ‘blunder’”.According to The Indian Express, India worked on the Bangladesh relationship quite seriously over the last few years, suggests some of the increased interaction at the highest level.“There were 10 meetings between prime minister Narendra Modi and Sheikh Hasina, six video conferences and five telephone calls in the last five years — 19 development projects were inaugurated jointly by the two leaders, and they signed over 90 bilateral agreements in new areas like space, IT, electronics, cybersecurity, civil nuclear energy among others,” the report added.It adds that India’s development assistance to Bangladesh increased from $3 billion to $8 billion in three years. Bilateral trade has increased by 31.5 per cent from $7 billion to $9.3 billion.Ashikur Rahman, a senior economist at the Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh, told The Indian Express: “I think Sheikh Hasina has navigated the geopolitical terrain quite skilfully. And, Awami League has a win-win partnership with all international stakeholders.”read more

President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in support of US Senate candidate Josh Hawley on 1 November in Columbia, Missouri. Hawley is in a tight race with incumbent Democrat senator Claire McCaskill. Photo: AFPUS president Donald Trump on Thursday warned that soldiers deployed to the Mexican border could shoot Central American migrants who throw stones at them while attempting to cross illegally.Trump told journalists at the White House that a group of several thousand migrants walking through Mexico towards the US border had thrown rocks “viciously and violently” at Mexican police.“We’re not going to put up with that. They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back,” he said.“I told them (troops) consider it (a rock) a rifle. When they throw rocks like they did at the Mexican military and police, I say consider it a rifle.”Trump spoke during a presentation of his controversial policy on cracking down against what he says is uncontrolled illegal immigration.Contacted for comment, Pentagon spokesman Army Lieutenant Colonel Jamie Davis said the military would not discuss hypothetical situations on the use of force “but our forces are trained professionals who always have the inherent right of self-defence.”“I would also emphasize that our forces are in support of DHS/CBP, who are performing law enforcement activities,” he added, referring to the frontline Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection.Trump has ramped up the rhetoric daily ahead of next Tuesday’s midterm congressional elections, accusing the opposition Democrats of wanting to throw open the borders to floods of “tough people,” “rapists” and other types of threats.The current focus of the president’s repeated claim to be acting against “an invasion” is the dwindling group of a few thousand impoverished migrants trying to get north, but still far from the US border.Trump said that from now on, the United States will stop its policy of allowing people to claim political asylum at the border unless they have first gone through an official border post.Those caught at the border will be held in tent camps or other facilities until they can be deported or have their requests approved, he said.Critics say that such a radical rethink to asylum policies could violate current laws.But Trump rejected this.“This is totally legal. No, we’re stopping people at the border. This is an invasion, and nobody is even questioning that,” he said.“We’ll be doing an executive order sometime next week,” he said, giving little further detail.Despite Trump’s increasingly severe warnings of immigration chaos, the government on Wednesday issued figures saying that only about 400,000 people have been apprehended at the border in 2018, down from around 1.6 million in 2000.Trump said he was not anti-immigrant but wanted immigration to be completely brought under control.“Mass uncontrolled immigration is especially unfair to the many wonderful law-abiding immigrants already living here who followed the rules and waited their turn,” he said.“Some have been waiting for many years. Some have been waiting a long time. They have done everything perfectly, and they are going to come in.”read more

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged businessmen to invest in Information Technology (IT) in Bengal which is set to be the future destination in the country and perhaps the whole world.She laid the foundation stone of the Bengal Silicon Valley Hub at New Town on Monday evening. Terming it as “historic,” Banerjee said: “We were not there when investment in IT started in Hyderabad and Bengaluru. But now, both the places are saturated and Bengal is coming up as the next destination. Invest in Bengal and the state government will provide every facility,” she said. Also Read – Rain batters Kolkata, cripples normal lifeThe proposed hub is coming up in 100 acre of land and “if needed, we will provide another 100 acre,” she added.Banerjee maintained that there is no dearth of talent in Bengal. “You will find IT professionals from Bengal working in Hyderabad and Bengaluru and in many foreign countries as well. They will come back if you can give them proper infrastructure and respect. And I believe, they can do miracles,” she pointed out.Urging strong investments in the IT sector in Bengal, she stated the talent pool in Bengal is very high and the attrition rate is as low as 3 percent. The state government has land banks and land-use policy. “Consider Bengal to be your home and make plans to take the state forward. We are there to give you all the support. Consider us to be one of your family members,” she said. The Chief Minister said the situation in Bengal has changed drastically over the past few years. “There was a time when people did not want to invest in Bengal because of bandhs and strikes. The man-days loss amounted to 70 lakh and now it has been brought down to zero. I do not support bandhs and always believe in positive and not negative approach.” Also Read – Speeding Jaguar crashes into Mercedes car in Kolkata, 2 pedestrians killedBanerjee inaugurated three IT parks at Malda, Siliguri (Phase III) and Purulia. She congratulated the budding industrialists who have invested in the IT parks. Ramdas Kamath, the senior vice-president, Infosys, said well-known architect Hafiz Contractor has designed its building that will come up in New Town.”We will take 15 months to complete the building which will be a landmark site representing neo-classical architecture in Bengal. He especially thanked Debashis Sen, Additional Chief Secretary, state IT Department and Swarup Roy, Advisor, IT Promotion Cell for their tireless efforts to bring Infosys to Bengal. Describing Mamata Banerjee as “the best Chief Minister in the country,” Sanjiv Goenka said: “This is the best place to invest and the state government is ready to give every support. I do business in many states but in Bengal, the support I receive from the Chief Minister, her colleagues and the bureaucrats is remarkable.”Top officials of IT companies including TCS, Cognizant, Oracle India, Sify Technologies Limited, HPE-Aruba, DQE, Capgemini were also present at the event.read more